Abstract
This study assessed the impact of maternal diet during pregnancy versus lactation on offspring gut microbiota. Sprague-Dawley dams were fed high fat (HF) or Chow diets during pregnancy, and their male offspring were raised by a different dam consuming the same or opposite diet (Chow-Chow, Chow-HF, HF-Chow, and HF-HF). Microbiota analysis showed that maternal lactation diet, rather than pregnancy diet, determined offspring microbiota profiles at weaning. Increased abundances of Turicibacter, Staphylococcus , and Ruminococcus were characteristic of chow lactation groups. Lactococcus , Streptococcus , and Parabacteroides were characteristic of HF lactation groups and positively correlated with offspring body weight.